Brandon and Stella: A New Beginning
by SmileySky94
Summary: Brandon and Stella are engaged without knowing it. They argue from their first meeting. But when they realize their great love for each other, will they have the courage to admit it? How will their married days be? Read and Review, better than it sounds.
1. The Beginning

**Hey everyone its Smileystar, this is my first Stella/Brandon fanfic (by unanimous requests), the theme and first 3 chapters were originally posted by someone else but has been edited, continued, and adapted by me. They were originally five chapters I think, but since I've edited them, they are now three.**

**Summary**: Brandon and Stella are engaged without them knowing it. And they argue from the first time they meet. But soon realize that they love each other very much. But will they take up the courage to tell each other how they feel? Or will they're pride get in the way? How will their married days go?

_**Chapter 1:**_ **The Twelve Planets**

In the magical dimension, there were ten planets that were better known and famous than the rest. As expected, the kings and queens of those planets got along extremely well. Eventually, each Kingdome had their first born heir. The king and queen of solaria had a baby girl named Stella, the queen of sparx had a baby named Bloom, although she wasn't the first born, she was the new keeper of the dragon fire and was still exacted to be the next heir to the throne, the queen of the harmonic nebula ad Musa, the queen of zenith had a baby girl named Tecna, the queen of Marigold had a girl named Flora, and the queen of tides also had a girl named Layla.

About a year before, the other kings and queens of the other planets had had boys; they were Brandon Sky, Riven, Timmy, Helia and Nabu.

The kings and queens of these twelve planets decided to make alliances and to marry their children, being that they were all such great friends. Their children however, would not find out about this decision until they were of age (18). Years after this agreement was made, the girls, Stella, Bloom, Flora, Tecna, Musa, and Layla, were always together. They hung out together and were the best of friends. The same went on with the guys. Sixteen years after this agreement they would enter alfea, while the guys had entered red Fountain the year before.

"Hello?" Stella picked up her cell phone which had been ringing.

"Hey Stella, its Bloom, so are you ready for the ball tonight or what?" She asked.

"Well, a little, I mean what am I going to wear?" Stella said. Bloom chuckled.

"Stella I'm sure you'll find something and whatever it is, it'll look great", she said comfortingly.

"Okay, thanks Bloom, well I have to go get ready, as I'm sure you do too", she said to Bloom.

"Yea, see you tonight bye", the reason why Stella was so nervous, was because she had just found out that she and her other five best friends had been given someone to marry by their parents. This was so unfair; she wanted to marry for love not an alliance. She would just wait until tonight and find out who was the guy chosen for her to marry. She laughed to herself remembering the last ball she went to.

"_Hey Sky", a guy named Brandon was telling his friend._

"_Yea?" He answered._

"_Do you see that beautiful girl over there with the blonde hair?" He pointed out._

"_Yea, I see her"_

"_I'm going to ask that princess to dance"._

"_Hey babe, care to dance", he asked, flirtatiously. Now Stella wasn't used to being treated that way, so to her this was a very rude thing to do._

"_What did you say to me? How dare you?" She said pretty loudly. Brandon grinned, noticing that Stella didn't like it._

"_What? Did I say something wrong, babe?" he continued. _

_Stella grinned as well, took a bowl of water that was near and spilled it on Brandon, then her grin became a smile, and she walked away. _

"_Will you stop?" Stella was beginning to get very irritated, both of them began yelling at each other until their parents came along and told them to apologize to each other, or more like demanded it. Stella crossed her arms over her chest and Brandon wasn't much different._

When she had found out that she would have to dance with and marry Brandon, she was so upset, but her father told her she would have to, and so she would tonight. She couldn't wait until tonight's ball.


	2. The Ball

**Chapter 2**

At the ball, Stella and the girls walked around the ballroom. It had been beautifully decorated, and the chandelier on the ceiling was big and bright. Stella looked around the room but there was no sign of Brandon.

"I can't believe you have to marry Brandon", Bloom said.

"Yea neither can I, I hope everything turns out okay", Flora says.

"Yea, so do I", Stella said.

Finally she found him. He was on the other side of the ballroom with his friends; she recognized one of his friends, prince sky of eraklyon. She had seen him the first time she met Brandon. They must be best friends or something, she thought. Brandon was now walking over to him. She couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked. Brandon couldn't help but wonder the same about her. Her blonde hair now reached her waist. She was tall and regal. When he reached her, the other five girls took their separate ways. Brandon tried to be as polite as possible, after all this wasn't just anyone but his future wife, and he didn't want his father to yell at him.

"Good evening, princess, may I have this dance?" He asked, bowing down and kissing her hand. Stella blushed.

"Yes, you may". They danced, spinning through the room. They both loved dancing together and didn't want the dance to end. When it finally did, Stella said,

"I think I will step outside to get some air, thank you for the dance", her face was flushed, it was a bit crowded in to ball room and she needed air, Brandon thought she looked cute that way.

"Okay, well it was my pleasure, I'll see you at tomorrow's ball", he said, then turned and walked away. Stella stepped outside. And sighed, a cool breeze was blowing. When she looked out onto the backyard, she saw Brandon, with another girl. She became a bit jealous and began to wonder who the girl was. She was pretty, she had short red hair.

"Let's sit here Terra", she heard Brandon say to her. Terra, her name was Terra. When they were sitting on the grass, Brandon leaned into her a little bit and kissed her lips. Stella couldn't believe it. Her soon to be husband was kissing another girl. Terra wrapped her arms around Brandon's neck making him kiss her deeper, he seemed a little surprised. Stella sobbed. Brandon heard her and broke from the kiss to see who it was; he was shocked to see that it was Stella. Stella ran until she reached a maple tree not far from the palace. There she stood and cried.

Brandon on the other hand was worried about her, she had seen him kissing another girl, and then cried and ran away. He immediately broke the kiss with Terra and got up.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I have to go", he said and was about to leave, when Terra grabbed his arm.

"When will we see each other again?" she asked. Brandon was in a hurry, he didn't know when he could see her again.

"Okay, how about tomorrow in my dorm at red fountain", he said, she agreed and he gave her his dorm number and left to find Stella. He ran until he heard someone crying. He had found her under a tree not far from the palace. Her face was still flushed.

"Stella", he said walking over to her. Stella heard him and turned around to face him. Tears were falling from her clear hazel eyes.

"Get away from me, you jerk", she said, sobbing a little as she spoke. Brandon walked even closer to her and said her name again. He put his hand on her shoulder. She was about to protest when he put his lips on hers. He kissed her gently, but after about a minute when he broke the kissed, she pushed him away, and yelled

"I don't want to see you again, you're a jerk", and then she ran back to her dorm.

Brandon stood there thinking. Stella wasn't like any girl that he had ever met before. She was the first who didn't drool over him; she was beautiful and seemed like a very sweet girl, although he had just hurt her. Brandon realized that he had just found what he was searching for, a girl different than any other, one of a kind. Their first kiss hadn't turned out to be all that bad, although maybe if she had kissed him back, it would have turned out better. Well, there would be more than enough time to make up for this kiss. Tomorrow at the dance at her palace he would try and kiss her again, hopefully by tomorrow she would be feeling better. He chuckled; his father really had made a great choice by choosing Stella as his wife. He walked back into the palace to let his father know that he was leaving.


	3. We meet Again

_**Chapter 3:**_ **We meet Again**

Stella stood outside her balcony the next morning. She thought back on what had happened the night before, she was a little less than torn up inside. At first she wasn't flattered with the idea of having to marry someone that she didn't like. She and Brandon didn't start off on the right foot when they first met. But when she met Brandon again at the last ball, who was the said man that she would have to marry, all of that changed. He was handsome, he was a gentleman, a great dancer, and his smile was so…tender. But this couldn't happen; he was nothing but a flirt. When she saw him kissing that girl…Lilly, she realized that he was a fake, nothing more than a jerk. Tears fell freely from her beautiful eyes now. She wiped then away roughly. He wasn't worth it. And she had to tell her parents before it was too late. But they wouldn't be back until tonight during the ball, at her palace. Tonight she would see him again. Whenever she thought about seeing him again tonight, she had a feeling of butterflies in her stomach, and she thought of the kiss he gave her. When he saw her crying near that tree, he said her name; his soft lips kissed her sweet ones. Even if he wasn't worth it, she would dress so beautifully and look so gorgeous that, he would regret hurting her and realize what he missed out on, that she would make sure of. Soon she had her hair done, long and beautifully curled. She had a golden dress that matched her hair and was as bright as her eyes. High heels that made her look even a little taller and regal. All in all, she looked stunning.

**Brandon's POV**

I feel bad about what happened with Stella last night, but she will be my future wife soon and I have to make it up to her. And besides that, I've never met anyone like her. There's a knock on my door. I open.

"Terra?" Oh, right, I had told her to stop by today.

"Hey", she says, walking in to my dorm room ad kissing my cheek, while wrapping her arms around me. I let her kiss my lips, and respond, but not too much.

"So what do you want to do babes?" She asks, grinning flirtatiously. Oh great now what do I do? I'm supposed to get ready for the ball tonight and for my meeting with Stella. I just hope she hasn't told her father what happened last night, or that she doesn't want to marry me. Then both her father and my father would kill me.

"What's the matter babe? Why are you so tense?" She asks again, not taking that grin off.

"Look, I'm sorry babes, but, I can't see you right now", I tell her, we are still standing right by the door.

"What?" She asks, I can't see Terra right now, I don't usually say no when a girl wants to go out with me, but in this case I have to. I found what I was looking for and I won't let it go.

"Look sweetie", I say kissing her cheek, "I have to go to another big event tonight and I have to get ready now", I tell her.

"Well, what about another day?" she asks, what now?

"Ummm, well maybe, I don't know yet. Maybe sometime next week, okay?" I say.

"Okay, baby, call me, she says slipping her number in my hand, then winking at me. She kisses me on my lips again and I respond a little less, and close the door as she leaves. Now I have to take a shower, put my tux on and get ready, tonight, I just hope Stella feels better.

**The Ball (Stella's POV)**

I spot Brandon entering through the big royal doors. He's with his father, just looking around. He's probably astonished at how huge this palace is. I'm wearing my beautiful gold dress, which has very thin straps and touches the floor, a little wide at the bottom but not too much. I also spot other guys looking at me, royal princes from other planets. And finally he spots me. I pretend not to see him, but I have to admit that he looks really handsome. Okay now he's walking over here, with one hand behind his back. Just then a queen from another realm see's me and comes over to say hi. I great her, smiling, showing off my bright white teeth, yea I was always proud of them. She leaves and Brandon is now right in front of me. The nerve! When we first met, he called me babes, _knowing_ that I did not like it, then I find out we're engaged and not even two minutes passed after dancing together that he went and kissed another girl, what is he doing here now? He should be with Lilly.

"Stella, hi", He says hesitantly. I stare at him coldly.

"What are you doing? I thought I left clear to you that I no longer wanted to see you, didn't I, you jerk?" I ask a bit harshly.

"Look, Stella, what happened yesterday, it's just that, well to be honest with you…I", he sputters for a while as if not knowing what lies to make up, I grunt. He pauses.

"You what? Found out that you had to marry me, and then made out with another girl?" I'm so mad at him right now. Can he sense that I'm a bit jealous?

"Look I know that we had a pretty rough start when we first met, you know we argued right away. And yesterday didn't go too smoothly either. I couldn't believe it when my father told me that I would be marrying you, but…"

"Believe me, I wasn't too flattered about it when I found out either", I say cutting in.

"Go on", I tell him.

"I can imagine. But even though we didn't get along at first, doesn't mean that I don't like you now. I do, to be honest', he says getting a little closer, "your not like anyone I've ever met before, and I think we can really get along, Stella, and so can we just forget about what happened last night?" He asks. It seems like he's really trying hard here. But after what happened last night, can I really trust him? He hurt me a lot.

"Stella", he says my name softly. Walking over to me, I will not let him play with my feelings again. He takes me by arm gently and says "Let's go out on the balcony, I want to give you something". I stiffen a little bit and just look out on to the balcony, I take two steps towards it, and he grins sweetly.

"Stella, I'm sorry", he says pulling me gently along. Am I really giving in? He takes his arm away from his back, revealing a gorgeous red rose. He puts it very close to me, almost in my very face. I stare at it. He takes my hand and places the rose in my hand,

"Take it", he says, "I picked it out especially for you", he says, now I'm curious.

"Why a rose? " I ask almost in a whisper. I've always like Marigolds.

"Well because if you take notice", he says, taking my hand gently, "this rose is a very deep color of red, very bright, very…profound", He says. His voice is soothing, I can't let him get to me, because as mad, as hurt, and as jealous as I may have felt, those feelings are quickly going away, and a feeling of warmth and affection is coming over me.

"What does that have to do though?" I ask, not looking up at his eyes, but rather at the rose in his soft looking hand.

"Well, that's what you are to me. Bright, profound, deep, and I have a feeling that there's more to you that meets the eye". He says now coming closer. Or faces are only a few centimeters away. Now I look up at his eyes. He's looking at me intensely, as if he's thinking about something while looking at me. He slowly leans in to kiss me, when his lips finally touch mine, it's like time has just frozen, stopped, just stopped and stood still.

_A kiss that lasts an eternity,_

_A kiss that makes you shine,_

_A soft kiss from his sweet lips,_

_From his soft, sweet lips, to mine._

When we part after a few minutes, he looks, well, bewildered, like he's never had a kiss like that in his life. Is that why he's looking at me the way he is now. Like I'm a wonderful thing to him? Have I just given into the guy that hurt me so much just the night before?

**(Brandon's POV)**

I can't believe it, I mean, sure last night's kiss wasn't all that great. And I had planned on making it right tonight, but, this was beyond what I had expected. She's so…different from other girls. Other than the fact that she doesn't seem to drool for me, and also seems to like playing hard to get, she…she has something. Something about her that's so unique. My father had truly made a fine choice.

Inside the music is playing, a slow song.

"Let's start over", she says.

"Pretend that last night never happened", she continues, and smiles. I'm so glad that she forgave me, I was afraid that she wouldn't, the way she cried yesterday, she just looked so hurt. I'm just glad it's all behind us. _I bend down and kiss her hand,_

"May I have this dance?" I ask smiling.

"Yes you may", she says, taking my hand, as we walk back insideto the dace floor. I smile down at her, glad that she has given us a chance to start over.


	4. Wedding Bells

_**Chapter 4:**_ **Wedding Bells**

**(Stella's POV)**

Well Brandon and I ended up on good terms last night at the ball, until just this morning when I caught him flirting again with some other girl, well not exactly flirting but telling her how pretty she looked and all. What was I thinking trusting him like that? I hear a knock on my door, it's him.

"Hey Stella", he says sweetly while smiling, "How did you sleep?"

"I slept just fine, thank you", I respond rather rudely. He looks at me awkwardly.

"Is something wrong princess?" He asks, princess? Did he just call me princess?

"Nothing," I say hesitating, "I saw you flirting with that girl, Tammy, figures", and I say to him and roll my eyes, while walking into my room. He follows me in and closes the door behind him.

"Are you jealous?" he asks, I turn around to see him grinning with his arms crossed against his chest, he looks…handsome…cute. No, that's exactly what he wants. I step back and lean my back against the rail of the balcony.

"What? Don't be ridiculous, it's just that…well we're getting married in a couple of days and it doesn't seem right that you're flirting with other girls…when…when we're about to get married". I just realized that I repeated the word 'married' twice. I feel my face go red as his grin only becomes wider.

"What?" I ask. He walks towards me until he's right in front of me; only a few centimeters away, and he leans his hands on the bar of the balcony behind me. I lean back a little, and he leans closer to me.

"It's nothing, just that…" he hesitates and leans _even _farther towards me, so our faces are about two centimeters away,

"You look so cute when you blush", he says, and closes the space between us. I feel his lips pressed on mine, and yet…I do nothing but kiss back. He wraps his arms around my waist seeing that I don't make even the smallest effort to push him away. Somehow my arms end up around his neck. In my head I think, he's so sweet', and then 'no fair, I was mad at him just a little while ago, and now I'm not', he's so hard to stay mad at. Suddenly we both break the kiss, red-faced and out of breath. He smiles at me again. I smile quickly being that I just can't stop blushing and my cheeks are now ruby red.

"I'll try not to flirt with girls anymore okay?" he says, about to kiss me again.

"Try?" I repeat. He grins.

"I'll stop flirting with girls, but I still have one I might not be able to stop flirting with", I feel numb, and what did he just say? He sees that I'm about to say something probably scream but he covers my mouth and says quickly,

"That girl is you", and…let the blushing begin. I smile at him for the first time in a while and he kisses my lips again. He leans closer to me a little more, it feels like we're going to break the rail of the balcony and fall through. Then I break the kiss.

"Brandon, I don't want to be rude but maybe you should leave before someone walks in and see's us", I say grinning the same way he did before. Brandon grins at me.

"Okay, princess, I'll go. See you later" he says. He kisses my cheek quickly, turns around, and leaves my room. I sigh.

**(Brandon's POV)**

I understand that my being a bit of a flirt sometimes bothers Stella a bit. But I can stop; I need her to trust that I can. I know she's a great girl, it's no wonder my father chose her as my wife, and she's becoming sweeter with me already. So we're off to a good start. I see Sky walking down the hall and quickly catch up with him.

"Hey bro", I say to him.

"Hey, where have you been? I was looking for you", he says.

"Oh I was with Stella, why were you looking for me?" I ask.

"So I'm taking it that you and Stella are getting along again?" he asks.

"Yea we totally are", I say.

"I wanted to let you know that the wedding preparations have already started, the wedding is in two days.

"Two days!"

**(With Stella)**

"Two days!" I almost yell. Two days? Two days! How can I prepare in only two days, this is happening way too fast I mean…two days!

"Yea, the wedding is in two days", Bloom says, she's been chosen to marry prince Sky of eraklyon.

"I was also pretty surprised when they told me", she continues.

"When they told you? Who are they? Who decided this?" I ask her.

"All twelve of our parents, yours, Brandon's, Layla's, Nabu's, Sky's, and mine. But I heard it was mainly your parents and Brandon's parents", she says, I'm sorry, what? This is more information than I can take.

"Well? What are we waiting for? Let's help plan this wedding, I mean, wedding bells are ringing, right?" she says.

**(With Brandon)**

"Yes, I mean it's not that I mind, Stella's great, but why so soon father?"

"Well that's exactly it Brandon. You just said yourself that princess Stella is a great girl, and I'm sure she thinks the same about you, so…why not make the wedding sooner?" he asks.

"Well I guess you're right, is Stella okay with this?"

"I don't know if her parents have told her about it already son, but if they have, I hope she took the news alright", he says. I sigh, I really hope she's okay, I wouldn't want her to think it was my idea or anything, especially not now that we get along so well. I'm sure she'll be fine.


	5. Questions

_**Chapter 5:**_ **Questions**

"Life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it", or so that was the saying here in Solaria. Bloom tells me not to worry about the wedding, I mean sure she's got cold feet too. But I'm pretty sure that my feet are freezing beyond the actual freezing point. How can I marry someone who I know a little close to nothing about? What hurts me the most is that I had to hear about it from Bloom. She's one of my best friends, and I'm glad she told me. But I would have wanted to hear it from my parents, from my mom. And I know I need to talk to them about this, their divorce is a big factor in all of this. I'm sure they had to fight over who would tell me about the divorce and the date of the wedding. Speaking of which…I wonder how Brandon reacted to this, knowing him…he's probably _thrilled_.

"Princess Stella?" I hear a voice say. It's André, one of our servants.

"Yes?" I answer.

"Your majesty, I know that this is none of my business, but…I heard about the wedding, aren't you happy?" he asks me.

"Your right Andre', this is none of your business", I say coldly. I'm not usually like this, but this situation just has me feeling so _lost._

"Yes, your majesty I am very sorry, but I've worked for the king and queen since I was a child, and, I don't like to see you this way, your majesty". He says. Technically, he didn't work for us when he was a child. My parents looked after him, and had teachers teach him about what his job would be when he grew older, of course he had a good education, but not like mine. He didn't have to learn as many languages or things like that, just the basics. Sigh and sit on the small couch in the corridor and sigh.

"You know when I was a child, and my mother told me that I would be coming to the palace with the kind and queen I felt horrible. Don't get me wrong! It's not that I didn't like them, or that I didn't want to live in the palace, but I needed to be with her, she was my mom, I was only seven" he says, pausing.

"What did you do?" I ask him quietly.

"I did what I had to, I confronted her at my young age. She only told me that it was because I had to learn and things like that…but at my young age, I realized that there was another reason behind it".

**(Brandon's POV)**

I'm back at home now, getting things ready for tomorrow. Stella's and my father have both found a house for us to live in after the honeymoon and all. I really wish I knew how she's doing, how's she's feeling about all this. My father has told me that they gave her the news. But he doesn't know about the rest. Sky's also very happy about marrying Bloom. Of course with him it's different. He and Bloom have been together for some time now. They've gotten to know each other. Stella and I saw each other just the other day for the first time in two years. We danced and kissed about twice…and now we're getting married. I sigh. I really like her. I hope this works out.

"Hello Brandon", I turn around to see Lilliana, a good friend who does the paperwork and all at my father's company.

"Hello Leah", I say to her, Leah is what some people call her for short.

"I wanted to stop by to congratulate you for you engagement and to wish you luck", she says, smiling kindly.

"Well thank you, for congratulating me…and wishing me luck. I know marriage is a…well, quite a journey, that's what I've heard", I say.

"No, no Brandon that's not really what I meant", she says, what can she be referring to?

"I was speaking about your future mother and father-in-law's divorce, Stella didn't mention it to you?" She asks, divorce? Two ways before my wedding with Stella, Queen Luciana and King Radius are getting divorced? Life is just full of surprises, one once said…

"No, well, I haven't really spoken to her. We've both been very busy these last few days…" I explain.

"Yes, I'm sure you've both been very busy…Brandon, could you, not mention this to her? I don't want her to know that you heard this from me. Perhaps it would be better if she told you herself, when she's ready rather than to have someone else tell you and, you know…" she says some what uncomfortably. I smile at her.

"Of course, I won't say anything until she tells me", I say. She gives me a short hug before retrieving to her work. I sigh. Divorce? Stella must be…shattered?

**(With Stella)**

I walk into my parents' study room. I have to do this; I need answers.

"Mom?" I say as I walk in. She's sitting at the desk, reading the paper. She takes her glasses off and looks up at me.

"Hello honey, how are you feeling this morning?" she asks. I take a breath.

"Mom, I need to…I need to talk to you", I tell her.

"Of course, Stella? What do you want to talk about?" She asks.

I remember what Andre' told me: _I did what I had to; I confronted her at my young age,_

I have to do this now: _I realized that there was another reason behind it_.

"Is there another reason behind my wedding with Brandon?" I ask. My mom doesn't say anything. In fact, her facial expression doesn't change at all.

"Mom?" I ask again.

"Stella don't be ridiculous, darling, what other reason could there be?" she asks me.

"I don't know mom, why don't you tell me", I say. She gets up from behind the desk, and walks over to me slowly. She sighs.

"Stella, there's something, your father and I haven't told you yet, but I have to be honest with you. Things just simply aren't working out between Radius and I and…" I felt the tears welling up in my eyes, threatening to fall. I knew this was coming, I heard them talking about it…and now…

"Stella, we're getting divorced", she says, she waits for my reaction, and for a minute, I have none.

"When were you planning on telling me this?" I ask through gritted teeth, "why now? Why today?" I say angrily through my tears, which were now falling freely down my cheeks. She does nothing but remain silent.

"What does this have to do with my marriage with Brandon?"

Hi everyone, hope you liked this chapter. I will be finishing "So it Turns out" very soon; please don't forget to review it. So what does this divorce have to do with Stella and Brandon's wedding? Did Andre' know about this? Did Liliana? You'll just have to read and find out. The wedding will be in the next two upcoming chapters. I have a lot of schoolwork but I'll try to update soon. Please review and tell me what you think, your reviews are very important so I know what you think, and if you like it or not. Wish me luck. Take care and God bless you all.

XOXO

Smileystar : )


	6. I hate this Part

**I do not own Winx Club**

"_**I Hate this Part" By PCD**_

_**Chapter 6:**__** I Hate this Part**_

_I'm walking down the halls of my palace, before I hear it. It is the 14__th__ of May, in fourteen hours; I will be the wife of King Brandon. But I hear it, and it breaks my heart._

"_Yes Chimera, you look beautiful, you do", I hear Brandon's sweet voice. I hear her giggle. Chimera…my second cousin…twice removed._

_"Really? You're not just saying that?" she says sarcastically._

"_No princess, you look great, lovelier than all the stars," he says, kissing her cheek. She giggles._

"_Brandon, you know I hate to beat around the bush, so why are you getting married?" she asks sounding disappointed._

"_They're my fathers orders, number one, it'll be good for both of our kingdoms, number two. You know that above all I sincerely care about the kingdoms and their people, I…" she cut him off._

"_That's so…brave and so attractive Brandon". Chimera says giggling. _

"_Really?" he says in a smooth and sly voice, as if leading her on. _

**The world slows down but my hear beats fast right now  
I know this is the part where the end starts**

_"Have I told you what beautiful eyes you have?" he asks._

_"Have I ever told you what a gorgeous smile you have?" she asks him in response. Tears spill freely from eyes. I hate this part, where once again he breaks my heart. I'm glad they haven't seen me, being that they're both giving they're back to me, and they're around the corner of the hall, still very close to me though. I make a run for it, while the tears just keep on coming._

_My parents' marriage has come to an end, even though I'm not married yet something tells me that mine will too._

**I can't take it any longer  
Thought that we were stronger  
All we do is linger  
Slipping through our fingers**

_I hear footsteps following me to where I'm standing, outside the palace by the gardens, the sun is starting to set, and the rain begins to fall slowly._

_"Stella?" I hear him say._

_"Are you alright?" he asks, walking over to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. I shutter in disgust, but also because that unfortunately is the effect that he's always had on me. Even from the first time we met. I shake him off abruptly._

_"You!" I say coldly turning around to face him. Allowing him to see my red puffy eyes, the tears that still continue to spill like the rain that is falling from the sky. I allow him to see the sorrow and heart break that he has caused me, because I just know that it is reflected in my eyes._

_"Stella, princess, what…"_

_"Don't you dare call me that! Don't you dare, you jerk! I thought…when you said you would stop being such a flirt, such a jerk, and that you liked me…I…I believed you!"_

_"Stella, I don't know what you heard", he says, finally realizing that I heard him flirting with Chimera, he continues, "but we can fix this Stella, we can work it out", he says, stepping closer and closer to me, while I continue to step back, away from him._

_"No Brandon, no! Don't you see? Do you really believe that I deserve this? That I deserve to be lied to this way? That I deserve to be used!" I yell at the top of my lung._

**I know you'll ask me to hold on  
And carry on like nothings wrong  
But there is no more time for lies  
Cause I see in your eyes**

_"I'm sorry Stella, I am! I told you I'd try I…"_

_"But your not Brandon, and I am not worthy of this"_

_"Stella…"_

_"No Brandon, no. I know my parents and yours will force us to get married, there's no way out of this"_

_"This will work out Stella, we can…"_

_"I don't want to hear it, if we must get married, I'll see you tomorrow…at the altar", I say coldly, as I turn my back on him. I can see it in his eyes; he's disappointed. He…likes me? No! If he did he wouldn't act like such a jerk._

**I don't want to try now  
All that's lefts goodbye to  
Find a way that I can tell you**

_"Stella wait, please", he says holding my by my shoulders, and spinning me around to face him. Without thinking it twice, I slap him. I don't regret it._

**I hate this part right here  
And I just can't take these tears  
I hate this part right**

_"What's gotten into you!" He yells._

_"You've gotten into me Brandon, you and your lies!" I scream back, the tears don't stop._

_"Now I understand…" I say, talking more to myself than to him._

_"Understand what?" he asks, sounding kind of frustrated._

_"There are so many things I don't know about you, for instance, you and my cousin", I say bitterly._

_"Or perhaps, her beautiful eyes? There is so much we don't know about each other. You don't know what I'd give not to have to marry…. to marry you", I say, turning my back to him._

_"You don't mean that", he simply states, making it sound like a fact._

_"Yes I do", I say._

_"Stella, we must do this, if not for us or for love than, at least for our kingdoms…please", he says sounding quite desperate._

_Does he like me? Really? No! He doesn't like me, than why do I get the feeling he does? That is absurd, entirely absurd! He and Chimera…I can't even say it, he likes her, not me. I remain silent._

_"Please Stella, do it for our people, think about our people", he says, he's right. But…_

_"For our people…" I say, still confused, not knowing what my next step will be. He seems to think that I have accepted to marriage, he doesn't know me._

_"I will see you tomorrow, Stella. At the altar…for the people…I'll see you at the altar", I don't respond but instead walk away. I dry my tears._

**But I gotta do it  
I gotta do it  
I gotta do it  
I hate this part**

**I hate this part right here  
And I just can't take these tears  
I hate this part right**


	7. I Remember

_Chapter 7: I remember_

I remember how only yesterday I had discovered more about Brandon, more than I would've wanted to.

I remember how…

**(Flashback)**

"_When were you planning on telling me this?" I ask through gritted teeth, "why now? Why today?" I say angrily through my tears, which were now falling freely down my cheeks. My mother does nothing but remain silent._

"_What does this have to do with my marriage with Brandon?"_

"_Darling, Brandon's father, Leander, is going through some…financial problems. You see, Brandon's mother owned a company, very wealthy of course. When she died last year, the business was supposed to go to Brandon, he doesn't know that. His father kept the business and it is now going bankrupt._

"_So by me marrying Brandon, we help Leander with his financial problems, he continues to run Brandon's business, he continues to lie to him…this is absolutely sick!"_

"_Now Stella! Your father and Leander have been friends for ages now, we owe him. He's done a lot for us and…"_

"_But mom, don't you see? That corporation belongs to Brandon! His mother left it for him, it means so much to him, he would be shattered if he knew his father took that away from him, let alone that its bankrupt!" I pause and take a breath._

"_Stella, we had already arranged your marriage with Brandon long before this happened, long before Brandon's mother died, when you were children practically. You are not to tell Brandon about this! Do you hear me?"_

"_I can't lie mom, I…"_

"_Please Stella, think about what the truth would do to Brandon," she says, giving me a stern look. She then turns around and walking back to sit behind her desk. I can't do it, so I run down the hall of the palace to look for Brandon and tell him the truth but instead I find something else…_

"Yes Chimera, you look beautiful, you do", I hear Brandon's sweet voice. I hear her giggle. Chimera…my second cousin…twice removed.

"_Really? You're not just saying that?" she says sarcastically._

"_No princess, you look great, lovelier than all the stars," he says, kissing her cheek. She giggles. _

**(End of Flashback)**

And so I didn't tell Brandon the truth. I just couldn't. How do I tell my fiancée that his father is committing a crime by taking over the corporation that his mom left for him? And to top that off, he's trying to destroy the corporation, take it to pieces. Sigh, we're not even married yet and the secrets begin.

"Stella, hold still! Wedding ceremony starts in an hour and we've got to get you ready!" Musa says. Only one hour left.

"Stella you look so beautiful!" Bloom says. She's sitting in the chair next to me while the rest of the girls and some other ladies fix our hair and do our make up. Bloom is also getting married today to prince Sky of Eraklyon, The only difference…they're in love with each other, completely head over heels for one another. They make such a beautiful couple.

"You look beautiful too Bloom", I tell her and smile.

Both of our hairs are tied up in a beautiful, elegant bun. Her hair is completely tied up while mine has a few curls hanging down the sides of my face. We each have a beautiful crown of flowers on our head. Our cheeks have been are a very rosy color, but our dresses are different. Mine has no straps and is almost touches the ground. It has a bit of glitter all over it. Bloom's dress has very thin straps and also touches the floor. And it doesn't have glitter on it. However she does have a few bits of glitter on her temple and a little close to her eyes, making her look dazzling. But both dresses are so gorgeous, and we both look amazing.

"Stella?" I hear my mom as she enters the room. She begins to tear up; right behind her is my dad.

"Stella, my little girl, you look gorgeous",

"Yes you both look wonderful", says queen Miriam, Bloom's mother. We each hug our parents, the girls, and we hug each other before exiting the room. The wedding starts now.

The wedding melody played on the organ. Bloom held onto her father's arm, while I held on to mine's. We began to walk to the altar slowly, step by step. I could see Brandon and Sky standing in the front. Sky is smiling, not once do he or Bloom take their eyes off of each other. I turn my gaze to Brandon, who stands next to Sky, smiling slightly, almost apologetically. Before I realize it, we reach the altar. Bloom takes Sky's arm, and I have no choice but to take Brandon's. The ceremony went on, and my mind was off in space. I realized what was going on when Brandon carefully and slowly turns me around to face him, and Sky does the same to Bloom. Then the priest asked…

"Do you princess Bloom of Sparx take prince Sky to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do"

"Do you prince Sky of Eraklyon take princess Bloom to be you lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do",

The rings are handed to them and they each put the wedding ring on each other's ring finger. And now it's our turn. The priest asks the same question to Brandon. Brandon looks straight into my eyes and says

"I do"

"Do you princess Stella of Solaria take prince Brandon to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

I take a quiet breath before answering…


	8. Open

**Chapter 8: **_**Open**_

_"Do you princess Stella of Solaria take Prince Brandon to be your lawfully wedded husband?" I can almost hear the guests' anticipation and angst. I take a breath, almost invisible to human eyes._

"I do", I say. Brandon smiles at me warmly. I almost melt, why?

"Then I declare you by the power invested in me by the Magical Dimension, husbands and wives!" The priest says smiling cheerfully. The he continues the last sentence.

"You may know kiss the brides," he says, and before I can blink twice, Brandon gives me a sweet but passionate kiss full on the lips. I can't do anything but kiss back since we are in front of a huge crowd of people. I notice Sky does the same with Bloom, she kisses him back contently. I almost whine when Brandon's soft, warm lips leave mine, why must I react this way? Really? We turn around and face the crowd. I don't even bother smiling. I simply stare at the crowd and then the ground. With my arm still in Brandon's, we walk out of the church towards the reception.

**Brandon's POV**

Stella doesn't look too happy as we head over to the party. I'm hoping that her mood will change before tonight. I almost can't wait to have her in my arms tonight, to be together for the first time, together as husband and wife. My breath quickens as I think about it. I gaze at her again and I can't help but take in how beautiful she is. Once we get there, I help her out of the limo and walk her inside. It wasn't long before my father grabbed the microphone and made a short speech. Then it was just Sky, Bloom, Stella and I on the dance floor for the first dance as married couples. The song was "You and Me", the perfect song I'd say. I see Bloom lean her head against Sky's chest, and he looks down at her and smiles lovingly. Stella and I may not be close like that now, but with time I'm hoping we can get closer.

The music starts and Stella, although not willingly at first, starts to move to the music. It seems like she has remembered something important and thought it best to dance. We dance and I twirl her all over the dance floor. Although she may deny it later, we both enjoy dancing together. I remember the time we danced at her palace, the night we met for the first time in two years.

**Flashback**

"_Good evening, princess, may I have this dance?" He asked, bowing down and kissing her hand. Stella blushed._

"_Yes, you may". They danced, spinning through the room. They both loved dancing together and didn't want the dance to end. Stella was very light on her feet, and Brandon took the lead, spinning her around gently from time to time. When it finally did, Stella said,_

"_I think I will step outside to get some air, thank you for the dance", her face was flushed, it was a bit crowded in to ball room and she needed air, Brandon thought she looked cute that way._

"_Okay, well it was my pleasure, I'll see you at tomorrow's ball", he said kissing her hand once again before leaving._

**End of Flashback**

I look at Stella now. She looks just as beautiful as she did that night. I almost can't wait until tonight when we'll finally spend our honeymoon together. It'll be the two of us in a beautiful apartment that our fathers have reserved for us. They made the reservations almost a year ago. It's a truly beautiful place and I heard the bedroom if even more luxurious. I still feel bad about what happened the other day. I didn't mean to flirt like that with chimera. But she was really getting on my nerves. I found out from my father's assistant Lilliana, that Chimera might be up to something. She may be trying to steal from Stella, try to take her kingdom away somehow. I was only looking to get the truth out of her. I didn't mean for it to turn out this way. But tonight I hope Stella and I will be together, she'll realize that I'm not so bad and tell me she loves me, because she will say 'I love you' first, right?

The evening went by fast; we ate cake, laughed, and danced some more. All in all, it was great. Before we left, after we all said goodbye to our friends and families, my father approached us looking quite…. Distressed.

"Brandon, Stella, how glad I am that you two are finally married! You two are clearly meant to be", he said cheerfully, looking directly at Stella and making emphasis on **meant to be**. Stella glared at my father now.

"Yes Leander. Thank you for helping to plan our wedding and all, much appreciated", she said through gritted teeth. After the strange moment passed, Stella and I got into a limo and headed to our apartment while Bloom and Sky headed to theirs. As soon as we got there Stella headed straight for the bedroom. I can't wait to be with her! I can't believe this is about to happen. I remove the jacket of my suit so I'm left with my white shirt; I pull up the sleeves and remove my tie. I'm kind of…nervous, excited? I can't really say but I don't want to wait any longer.

**Stella's POV**

I don't think I want to be with Brandon tonight. Why should I? My parents might have forced me to marry him, but they can't force me to sleep with him now can't they? I take my wedding gown off and the uncomfortable garment that comes under it and get under the covers. Unfortunately I'm wearing nothing but my bra and underwear, which by the way are quite revealing, _thanks a lot Musa_. I hear the door creak open, and I feel Brandon sit next to me in bed.

"Stella?" he asks he leaning over me to 'verify' that I am asleep. I moan when I feel his weight over me. Unfortunately, I turn over so that I am no longer lying on my side, but I am now lying on my back with him on top.

"Stella, are you okay?" he asks.

"I'm fine". I say flatly. He starts by kissing my cheek, and I make no move. But I didn't mean to lead him on. He then starts to move down. To my neck, I almost forget why I have to stop him. And I have to hurry up before my resolve fades away quickly. He's kissing my neck and grabbing my waist tightly, so I start pushing at his chest. That only seems to turn him on even more. I try pushing him again until his mouth is once again placed over mine, I keep trying to shove him off but he just isn't getting it…okay, what now??


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_What now?_

I feel Brandon grab hold of my remaining clothes, which aren't many. Okay _now_ he's just going too far. I instantly remember a heating spell that I learned in Alfea a while after blowing up the school lab. I say the words quietly, while Brandon continues to kiss my neck, going lower and taking hold of my waist.

"Ouch!" Brandon yells and jumps off of me almost automatically. I end the spell.

"What do you think you're doing?" I yell back.

"Stella, what do you mean what am I doing? You're my wife and this is our honeymoon!" He says, and then tries to grab me again, catching me off guard.

"Hey!" I shriek, and use the spell quickly while he tries to grab me and pull me closer to him.

"Ow! Stella cut it out!" He yells again. I get out from under the covers, a bit too angry to notice him staring at me, his eyes almost popping out at the sight. Typical…

"Brandon, stop staring at me like that! Leave me alone!" I yell as I start putting on my wedding dress.

"Stella what are you doing? This is completely absurd!"

"No, _this _is absurdBrandon!_ Us _having a_ honeymoon _after everything that has happened between us!"

"Oh Stella! I apologized, things aren't all, as they seem, just let me explain," he says but I cut him off.

"Explain? Please Brandon what I saw was pretty self-explanatory! No need to explain. I haven't forgiven you yet Brandon", I say as I pull up the zipper of my dress.

"Would you…wait, you said 'yet'?" he asks sounding amused.

"What?" I asked confused.

"You said you haven't forgiven me…yet?" he asks now smiling. Ugh…

"I'm sleeping on the couch!" I announce leaving the bedroom angrily.

"Stella! You can't do this!" He yells after me.

"I can and I will, so now leave me alone!" I yell. Gosh this dress is so uncomfortable. But I rather sleep on the couch in this dress than to have a honeymoon with him. There is absolutely no way! I can hear him slam the bedroom door as I turn on my side and try to get some rest. This is going to be a long night.

To my amazement, morning came pretty quickly. After what happened last night, I'm almost afraid to face Brandon. I wonder if he's still mad…either way whether he is mad or not, I'm not changing my mind. I stand by what I said and I won't have a honeymoon with him, period. I walk over to the phone next to the couch and call my maid to bring me clothes. I can't walk around another day with such an uncomfortable dress on. In less than thirty minutes she was at the door, thank goodness Brandon isn't up yet.

"Your majesty how was your honeymoon? Magical and very romantic I suppose…" she says with a sweet smile on her face.

"No, Celia, it was the sourest ever" I say, he smile suddenly turns into worry and shock.

"Why your majesty, what happened?" she asks, I don't have time for conversation though.

"Nothing Celia, nothing happened. I don't want to talk about, thank you for bringing my clothes and please don't mention this to anyone", I say quickly. Of course I know I can trust her.

"Of course not your majesty, I'll leave you now", she says as she leaves. I too, say goodbye to her and change quickly. I wonder how it went with Bloom.

**Brandon's POV**

I don't understand. How can Stella possible do this to me? How? This is our wedding night for God's sake, tonight was supposed to be our honeymoon. A night that would be so special to the both of us! But no! She just had to do this. Well, coming to think of it…I don't blame her. What she saw, she looked so hurt…but still, she had no right to do this! This just goes beyond all limits. But I can't give up, I know sooner or later we will have a honeymoon and she will change her mind…but when?

I really couldn't help but notice how beautiful she is when she got up. She looked so stunning…I guess there's nothing left to do but wait, I'm not giving up…

Morning came as quickly as any other morning. I still can't believe what happened yesterday, I was really looking forward to…

"Brandon!" Sky says loudly, waving his hand in front of my face.

"'I'm sorry dude, what did you say?" I ask him breaking out of my thoughts.

"I asked you how was last night?" he asks. Sky had been telling me about how happy he was and how great things went for him and Bloom yesterday. Now he's asking about me, I don't know what to tell him.

"Oh it was"…I think about it, I can't possible tell him what really happened…

"It was great", I lie, "It was amazing, and Stella's amazing". I tell him, the last part wasn't a lie, and I truly do think she's amazing.

"I have to say Bloom is amazing as well, she's beautiful, caring, loving. Last night was great. I feel great" He says so sincerely. Just seeing the honest smile on his face, I feel…jealous? Jealous that last night wasn't everything I would have wanted it to be. Like it was for Sky and Bloom, I wanted that for me and Stella.

"Brandon is something wrong? You seem distressed?" he asks suddenly, I can't tell him.

"Not at all, bro there's nothing to worry about, everything's fine".

**Stella's POV**

"I didn't do it Bloom, I mean after the way he played with my feelings, and would you believe he tried taking hold of my waist, I can't", I say.

"But Stella, are you sure you did the right thing? I mean the poor guy must be torn, did you at least give him a chance to explain?" she asks.

"What explanation can there be, and poor guy? Poor guy Bloom? He flirted with my cousin just hours before our wedding. There's nothing to explain…" I say quietly.

"Stella, you are in love with Brandon and Brandon is just as crazy, if not more,about you. Anyone who doesn't see that would have to be blind. Trust me, there has to be a way, there is", she says. I don't respond but rather just look away. A way, right…there's not, is there?

**(Sky and Bloom) Sky's POV**

We're on the ship heading home. I can't shake the feeling off that there was something Brandon wasn't telling me. I was about to talk to Bloom about it when I hear her sigh.

"Bloom sweetheart what's the matter?"

"It's nothing, just…I wish there was a way to help Brandon and Stella don't you think?" Help Brandon and Stella, now I know something is going on…

"What do you mean, help them how?" I ask confused.

"Brandon didn't tell you?" Bloom asks me.

"No, tell me what Bloom? Tell me"

"Well, they didn't exactly…spend the night together last night. Stella slept on the couch. She refuses to be with him because of what she heard Brandon and Chimera talking about before the wedding. In fact she and Brandon argued last night…but…I know they're in love with each other", she says distressed, and she's right. I understand why Brandon didn't tell me. Knowing him, he is probably just as upset as Stella.

"Of course they're in love, Brandon has told me himself, and it's just so obvious. I agree we can help them somehow" I tell her, she looks down.

"But how Sky?" she asks me. I put my arm around her comfortingly and kiss her cheek.

"We'll find some way don't worry, love".


	10. Poor Little Rich Girl

Chapter 9: Poor little Rich Girl

It's been about two days into this honeymoon, and nothing has really changed. Brandon and I are still pretty distant. I of course had decided to continue sleeping on the couch, but Brandon, being the "gentlemen" that he is offered to sleep on the couch himself and leave me the bed to sleep on. I of course accepted, a princess shouldn't have to sleep on a couch…never; completely unheard of. I walk into the kitchen to make breakfast, as a wife I still have duties…

As I'm cooking breakfast, Brandon walks in.

"Good morning Stella," he says sweetly. I have to admit, he looks more and more handsome every day, but that's definitely not going to get to me.

"Good morning" I say in the same kind tone of voice he uses.

"Aww Stella, you didn't have to make breakfast this early, let me help you…"he says but I cut him off.

"It's fine Brandon, it's one of my many duties…as your wife", I conclude. He merely nods.

"Stella…look, I've been meaning to explain to this to you, about what happened the other day…" he began to say but I cut him off immediately.

"No Brandon, I…I don't want to hear it, okay? Look what happened, happened, that's all I know and…" now he cut me off.

"It's not what you think okay? Maybe if you'd just let me tell you how it all happened you would stop seeing me as the bad guy!" now he was raising his voice at me? A princess should never be yelled at.

"Don't raise you voice with me Brandon! Besides, what is there to explain? I know what I saw!"

"Which was?!" he asks, angrily.

"You flirting and kissing that girl!" I yelled, the tears were threatening to fall, but I wouldn't let that happen, a princess doesn't cry…she remains strong…

"You're right, I shouldn't have yelled…I'm sorry, but…" he tried to say something else, but I finished cooking his breakfast, put it on a plate and served it to him.

"Here's your breakfast, I hope you enjoy it", I say, setting it down on the table. I think he notices my tears, but when it seems like he's about to touch my face I turn away and excuse myself from the kitchen after setting his plate down on the table.

I walk up to our bedroom and lie down, about thirty minutes later, the doorbell rings and hear Brandon answer it, so walk downstairs. To my surprise, the person I least expected to see, was there.

"Chimera?" I asked, jealously washing over me as she pulled Brandon's arm, then hugged him.

I pretended not to notice, or at least I tried to.

"Hello? I'm taking it you're a maid?" she asks in her snobby vice "I came to see Brandon here", I look at Brandon anxious face, expecting him to say something. He look uncomfortable, I do nothing but glare at him.

"Yes Chimera just came by …" she cuts him off.

"He doesn't have to explain anything to some maid, Brandon and I have known each other for years, ever since college actually" she said smiling, and then continued "I remember when he gave me this ring as a gift on one our dates" she said smiling…evilly. Brandon simply nodded,

"Well yes, that happened a long time ago..." he said agreeing but looking uncomfortable all at once.

"Now go get us something to drink, and hurry!" she says, did she give me an order? She called me a…a maid? A princess should never be called a maid or be given orders like one…instead I do the unexpected.

"Right away Ma'am" I say bowing down, Brandon looks as if he's just seen a ghost, like he feels…guilty… I practically ran into the kitchen, I couldn't let them see me cry. I wipe the tears away fiercely and take them their drinks. Chimera gives me a dirty look, while Brandon gives me a look of pure sympathy.

"What are you waiting for? Leave, didn't they ever teach you not to listen in to your master's conversations?" she nearly yells.

"I'm sorry ma'am, excuse me", I say walking away, I couldn't believe this was happening, in my own house, my own husband…no he wasn't my husband, or at least he wouldn't be for long…

The evening went by quickly rather and night time settled in. Chimera was still here.

"Brandon, I want to stay here with you", she says in a very girlie voice.

"Here?" he chuckles, "Where would you stay?" he asks incredulously.

"Well in your room of course", Brandon see's me somehow looking into the living room from the kitchen, I blush.

"Of course you can stay", he says suddenly, I thought I wouldn't be able to hold the tears but I'm strong, a princes must always be strong.

Brandon's POV

I felt so bad for Stella; she's a princess for goodness sake! She should be treated like one…but what shocked me the most…she actually went along with it. I couldn't believe it. But as I saw her now watching me and Chimera, I figured…Chimera could help me get Stella back, of course what happened between us, was in the past. We had been together for a while but now my heart belonged to Stella. I would use this to make her realize she's in love with me…but I wouldn't take it too far, just enough to get Stella back, I have a feeling this will work.

"Of course you can stay" I said to Chimera, she giggled and hugged me.

"You, maid!" she yelled pointing at Stella, and Stella walked in.

"Yes ma'am", she said, bowing…she shouldn't have to do this…

"You're sleeping on the kitchen floor, tonight and as long as my stay here lasts" she says, kitchen floor? This is…horrible. I walked to the bedroom with Chimera, led her inside and when we had lied down, I waited for her to fall asleep. It didn't take long considering she had made a long trip to get here. I sneaked downstairs as soon as she was asleep. I walked into the kitchen and surely enough, there was Stella, lying on the floor. The kitchen window was opened and she looked terribly cold…the sight was…awful. I quietly walked over and closed the windows, then I lied next to her and put my arms around her to keep her warm, and it felt right. Luckily Stella seemed to be a heavy sleeper so she didn't notice my being here.

"Brandon…" she whispered, I began to panic until I noticed her eyes were closed, she was sleep talking, I smiled.

"Why Brandon? Not her…me …" she said, I took it she meant Chimera.

"I…love…you" I couldn't believe my ears, she said she loved me, of course I had known all along. I was never going to give up on her, never.


	11. Moonkissed

**Chapter 9: Moonkissed**

It has probably been a few weeks, living with both Chimera and Stella,_ my wife, _truly hasn't been easy. Chimera is constantly rubbing things in Stella's face, things of our past. Because Chimera and I do have a past. Which doesn't matter now because I love Stella.

It breaks my heart to see Stella, each and every night, pick up her things and sleep on the kitchen floor. The only confort I can find in that, if any, is that I get to sleep next to her, and at least try to keep her warm. I get to listen to her talk in her sleep, listen to her every dream.

_**Flashback**_

_As I lay there by Stella, I can't help but admire how beautifully her face shines under the moonlight. I hug her close, being that even though I've already closed the kitchen window it can still get pretty cold. I've also brought a few heavy quilts to cover us and keep us warmer._

"_Brandon…"_

"_Stella?" I say, as I'm lying next to her I hear her almost whisper my name._

"_Brandon…stay" she whispers and shifts in her sleep. I smile, even though she may not admit it while she's awake, I know in her dreams she may love me. I'm not sure what came over me at the moment, but I came closer to her, leaned down, and pressed my lips on hers. I parted after only a few seconds afraid that she could feel it and wake up. But suprisingly it was the exact opposite. She seems to like it, she seemed to want to..kiss back._

_I leaned down and kissed her again, this time more passionately, fully. And to my surprise, she began to kiss me back. A few minutes went by and the kiss only got deeper and deeper. My hands went around her waist and she began mumbling something incoherent against my lips. Her hands went behind my back and I pulled her closer. But eventually she began to groan in her sleep and seemed like she wanted to break the kiss, so I let her go gently as to not wake her up._

_It took me a few minutes to catch my breathe, same went for Stella even if she was still asleep. I pulled Stella close to me. We would be together some day , that I was sure of._

_**End of flashback**_

I'm sure Stella doesn't even have the slightest idea of what happened the other night. I don't want to imagine how she would react If she did. I look at her now dressed as a maid, I can't believe shes accepting all of this..in her house..

"Stella!" I hear Chimera scream, bringing me out of my thoughts. I see the hurt on her face to have someone treat her, the princess of Solaria, as a maid.

"Yes..ma'am?" she asks, making a great effort to sound respectful.

"I would like some tea and soon" she says, and then waves her off like nothing, I then take notice of a gold ring on her finger_..oh no.._

I notice Stella looking intently at the ring, probably because Chimerais wearing it right on her ring finger.

"Ughh! What are you staring at?!" Chimera practically screams at Stella clearly irriated..yet for no reason. I give Stella an understanding look, and she just glares at me. Chimera looks at her ring admiringly.

"Oh this.." she says smiling, "My dear Brandon here gave me this ring back when we were dating in college, isn't it gorgeous?" she asks, smiling wickedly and showing the ring off in Stella's face, I felt really bad at this point.

I remember back in college when I had given that ring to Chimera. It had been our fifth month anniversary. At this point, although it had been five months and although I had really thought we had something special, I wasn't really sure if Chimera was the one for me. She was sweet and all..but at times her adittude was a bit too much. I was with her hoping that I would one day see another side of her, hoping there was more that met the eye. But a few months after giving her that ring I realized that we weren't meant for each other and broke up with her.

Now I looked at Stella's face, she looked partly furious, and partly humiliated and hurt. Chimera yelled at her to leave and get started on the tea she had asked for, _or rather demaned. Stella didn't say another word, just glared at me and walked away._

_Now what?_

_Hey guy, Im sooo sorry I havent updated in such a long time. I've been really busy lately with homework, being that I'm going to a new school now, and I've also had a few issues in my family to deal with. From now on I'll probably be updating more often. I'll also try to complete my other story "So it turns out" if anyones still interested. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and if you have any suggestions let me know, once again im sorry._

_XOXO_

_Smiley*_


	12. Revealed

**A/N: I want to apologize in advance lol, I hope this chapter isn't too confusing, being it is told from a few different points of view.**

**Chapter 12:** **Revealed**

_God broke the mold,  
When he made this one I know  
She's breathtaking but so much more  
She walks in the room, your lungs close  
Making you never want to breathe again_

I can't believe I ever agreed to this…working for Chimera, it's maddening. And having to watch her and Brandon together…is even worse.

"Stella!" I hear Chimera shriek.

"…Yes…ma'am?" I ask, even though I really don't want to.

"Bring me a cup of warm tea" she orders.

"Right away" I say, rolling my eyes as I leave the room. As I'm heading toward the kitchen, I feel someone grab my arm and pull me to the side.

"Hey! What's wrong with-" I say, but the person cuts me off.

"Relax Stella it's me" Brandon whispers. I desperately try to yank my arm out of his grip but he's too strong.

"Brandon let me go now! Let me go or I'll scream!" I tell him, I don't want to have anything to do with him, especially not after everything I've heard about him and Chimera.

"Stella, wait! Please listen, we need to talk" he says, still not letting go, while pulling me closer.

"Talk? Brandon we have nothing to talk about, I've heard enough about you and Chimera, and I don't need to hear any more" I say.

"Look I know Chimera and I had a history, but that was long ago and I don't understand why it bothers you so much now" he says.

**Brandon's POV**

I've been trying to talk to Stella ever since she became upset over the ring I gave Chimera years ago. I want to confront her and hope that she'll confess her feelings, tell me why it bothers her. But she doesn't even want to see me. And I'm beginning to doubt that my plan will work.

"It…it doesn't bother me, I…I just…you were…let's just forget about this okay? It doesn't even matter, I'm just the maid remember? Who am I to speak out my thoughts and tell you how I feel?" she says. I sigh. It kills me to know that she's pretending to be a maid…when she's actually a beautiful princess, and in her own house.

"You're not a maid Stella, you're a princess…your beautiful and you're so much more-" I say, but someone cuts me off.

"Stella! Where's the tea I asked for!" Chimera screams from the living room impatiently. Stella snatches her arm away.

"I'm sorry but if you don't mind, I have to get back to work" she simply says, and starts to walk away.

But before she does, I say,

"Stella, the girls and guys said they wanted to come visit us this afternoon and-"

"Don't worry, I don't mind pretending in front of them" she says, not even bothering to turn around to look at me. She then just walks away.

The afternoon came by quickly and I was getting more and more nervous by the minute, I wasn't sure what I would do about Chimera but I definitely knew that I didn't want the guys to see her there, especially not Bloom or Sky. I told them things were going great with Stel. So I decided to tell Chimera to go shopping for the afternoon while I took care of some business. She happily agreed, of course.

Finally about fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang, and Chimera who was getting ready still hadn't left yet. I heard Stella answer the door and greet everyone, so I followed.

"Hey, you guys" I say casually, as we welcome them in. They all looked pretty surprised to see Stella dressed as a maid. Now we all stood there, I heard Bloom ask her,

"Why are you dressed that way Stella?"

"I'll explain later" she said quietly to them all. Just then Chimera walked down the stairs.

"Brandon, who are all these people? Oh wait…you're friends?" she asks.

"I…I mean yes, they are. Guys I think you've already met, this is Chimera Stella's cousin, and Chimera, these are our friends" I say, this feels so uncomfortable. But I can think of only one person who I'm sure feels a lot worse.

**Sky's POV**

I don't understand any of this, why is Stella dressed as a maid? That's just not like her. She's not happy…neither of them looks it and that's for sure. Something's going on and I need to know what it is. I sigh quietly and look over at Bloom; I know she can see it to. They're our best friends…we just need to know. Everyone starts walking into the living room and talking to each other about how they've been, and I see Bloom and Stella walk away from the group for a little bit. I'm sure that Bloom is going to ask Stella about this, and I should talk to Brandon as well, so I make my way over to him,

"Brandon how could you! Stella's your wife, the princess of Solaria, and you treat her as you're maid?!" I almost yell.

"I didn't mean for it to go this far! I love Stella and you know it, you think I'm happy with how things are going?" Brandon says, raising his voice as well. I sigh.

"Well Brandon if you love her so much, you should have thought things through at the very beginning! You should have told Stella exactly how you felt, you-", I say but he cuts me off.

"I have Sky, I have! I think Stella's pretty fond of how I feel about her but…but…"

"Chimera's here…and you're making Stella think that you and Chimera are together" I say sternly. Stella doesn't deserve this, Brandon just sighs.

"I don't understand…you said things were going great" I tell him.

"I…I don't know why I lied I just couldn't get myself to say anything…I was…embarrassed by what had happened, I mean, it was partly my fault…"he trails off.

"Brandon, you're my best friend, and as your best friend, I think you need to fix this", I tell him. I don't mean to make him feel worse, but he just has to fix it, not only for Stella but for himself as well.

"I know bro, but…I'm not sure how" he says, looking pretty upset,

"Just relax, take things calmly and I know you'll find a solution. Make Stella see that you truly do love her" I tell him.

"You're right…but I also want to hear it from her…I need to know that she loves me…" Brandon says.

"In the mean time, I think it's only fair if Stella gets some help around here, it wouldn't be fair for her to do all the work on her own" he says.

"Good thinking, at least then she'd have less work to do", I say agreeing. I look over at Bloom who's talking to Stella. She smiles at me and blushes. I smile back, and continue talking to Brandon about the details of the person who will help Stella do the work around the house.

**Stella's POV**

Night time came pretty quickly, and the gang decided to spend the night, which was completely fine by me. I was more than happy to have them here. When they were all around, it made me remember how the old times used to be because I really missed all of them, but it also meant that I would get a break from having to follow Chimera's orders. Luckily they all went to bed before I did, so they didn't have to witness my sleeping in the dirty and ice cold kitchen floor. At about eleven at night, I took a pillow and just one blanket into the kitchen. It was freezing cold even thought all the windows were tightly shut and I knew one blanket would not be enough but I had no other choice, I didn't want the gang to notice.

Even though I was freezing, luckily I became very sleepy quickly.

**Brandon's POV**

After Stella and the others went to sleep, I took about four heavy quilts and 2 pillows and walked down to the kitchen. I took one quilt and opened it out on the floor. Then I slowly and carefully picked Stella up and laid her on the quilt, and then I lied down myself and covered us both with the rest of the quilts. I hugged Stella close and kissed her softly. For a moment it felt as if she were kissing me back. But it didn't last long and she began sleep talking.

"Why…" she muttered.

"Stel?" I ask,

"Brandon…why," she says, almost whimpering, I hug her even closer and kiss her cheek.

"Shh, it's okay Stella.. It's okay" I whisper. Just a few minutes later I close my eyes as I feel sleep start to come over me.

**Musa's POV**

It's quite cold tonight, even colder than it is in our realms sometimes. It's been a great day, even thought the first part was strange, Stella dressed as a maid? I did not understand that I think none of us did. But I'm sure Stella will tell us all about it tomorrow. At some point during the night, I got up to get some water so I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen…and I did not expect what I saw.

Lying in the middle of the kitchen floor was Stella, who was being hugged by Brandon. They didn't seem cold they were lying under about four or five quilts. I didn't understand was why they were sleeping here instead of in their room, but one thing's for sure. They do look happy. Brandon hugs Stella a bit closer and kisses her on the lips softly, once…twice. I think it's very sweet but realize that I'm being rude for watching them like this, so I decide to go to the other part of the kitchen to get water.

In the morning, we were all sitting at the table having breakfast. Everyone already knew about what I had seen and were now giggling. Stella on the other hand looked very confused.

"So, did everyone sleep well?" Flora asks.

"Of course" Layla says, "the beds were very comfortable" she says, then continues "How about you guys? Stella? Brandon?" she asks casually, and I hear Flora and Tecna giggle.

"I slept well," Stella simply answers, but it seems as if she doesn't understand what we're referring to.

"So did I" Brandon replies as well.

"Oh I'm sure you did" Riven says with a grin, I elbow him in the ribs softly, but quickly enough so that Stella and Brandon don't notice. Stella just blushes, but still doesn't seem to understand…strange.

"I'm sorry you guys, but you'll have to excuse me, I have something I need to do" Stella says, leaving the table. Just then Brandon looks at Sky as if they were agreeing on something.

"Stella, could you please wait for me in the living room? There's something I need to talk to you about" Brandon says, is something going on?


	13. Nathaniel

**Chapter 13: Nathaniel**

"_Stella, could you wait for me in the living room? There's something that I need to talk to you about",_

_Is something going on?_

_

* * *

  
_

_If I should die before I wake  
It's 'cause you took my breath away  
Losing you is like living in a world with no air, oh_

_I'm here alone, didn't wanna leave  
My heart won't move, it's incomplete  
If there was a way that I could make you understand_

_

* * *

  
_

I watch as Stella gets up, excuses herself from the table and leaves to the living room. I quickly smile at everyone and follow behind Stella.

"What is it that you needed to talk to me about?" she asks rather coldly.

"Stella…look, I've been thinking that the work to be done around the palace, it's a lot. And you can't continue doing all the work around here by yourself, you need help", I say to her, waiting for some kind of response from her.

"The work I shouldn't even be doing" she mutters, at that moment I just can't help but look into those soft, yet sad chocolate brown eyes of hers. All I can do is nod solemnly in agreement, and continue,

"I thought it would be a good idea if you had someone to help you out, so I'd like to hire someone else to work at the palace", I conclude, again stopping to wait for her reaction. She smiles…which seems like a good sign.

"And it never occurred to you to set things right?" she asks callously, I'll admit that I didn't see that coming, I try to say something , to explain to her that it's not easy but she doesn't allow me to speak.

"No Brandon, because you and Chimera are now the owners of this palace and everything in it…you don't think of me as what I really am…you think of me as just another maid" she says, while slowly backing away,

"Stella, you don't -" I begin to say, but she cuts me off.

"I'd appreciate the help, when will she be here?" she asks, not interested in what I have to say. I sigh,

"This afternoon if possible," I say, she just nods and walks away. I should have said something else, but I didn't. Instead I let her go. Suddenly I hear footsteps behind me so I quickly turn around,

"How'd things go?" he asks casually.

"Not as well as I would have wanted them to", I say, then continue "But they went okay", I tell Sky. He only pats me on the back.

"It'll get better" he simply says, and walks back into the dining room. He's probably right, but now I have to convince Chimera to hire someone to help Stella.

**With Chimera**

"Chimera, she needs the help"

"The maid seems lazy enough already, why give her someone more?" she says,

"She does a lot of work around the palace, and she serves us as well, it's a lot of work to do", I argue.

"Why do you care so much?" she asks looking a bit irritated, I don't answer that, at least not to her, but luckily before I even try she interrupts,

"Well I suppose your right, sweetheart, I'll make a few calls and see who I can get" she says,

"Great, and it should probably be a young lady not too much older than Stella, so they can work equally and help each other more" I say, it should be someone who she can get along with as well.

"No, I think it should be a young man, if the maid really needs help than we should hire a man to help her, not another woman", she says calmly,

"I really think a lady would be better Chimera", I say,

"Nonsense sweetheart, it should really be a man"

"Chimera, I really don't think that would be-"

"It's a great idea, trust me, she's better off with a young man helping her" she says, then continues "Think about it honey, if there's a man to help the maid, we can take break, just you and I alone, without having to worry about leaving this palace alone… or any interruptions", she says coming closer to me. I do my best to smile warmly at her. She puts a hand on my cheek,

"I'll start making the calls right now, so that he'll be here by this evening" she says,

_Now what?_ I think to myself,

I don't think I like the idea of another man helping Stella. And even though he hasn't been hired yet, I don't like this at all. Just then, the guys and girls walk in,

"Hey Brandon have you seen-" Musa starts but ends just as quickly at the sight of Chimera,

"Oh, hey Chimera…we were just wondering if any of you have seen Stella…we just wanted to show her something…? Musa says, giving Chimera a strange look, which Chimera catches quickly.

"You mean the lazy blond?" she asks unsympathetically,

"Oh you take that-" Musa begins saying but Riven cuts her off,

"I really think we should go, Sky offered to give us a small tour of the city since he has come here before" he says while putting an arm around Musa protectively. Mean while the other girls simply glare at Chimera. I quickly look over at Sky, who is standing beside Bloom. He simply looks at me and nods; I silently thank him for taking them on that tour. It's not that I don't want my friends here, never that, but I wouldn't want them to witness the situation of Stella being the maid, and Chimera the lady of the house.

**Stella's POV**

I can't believe him. Sure I like the idea of having someone to help me out, but, that's not what I would have wanted. I would've wanted to be myself, to be a princess again and have all my things back. And not sound vain. I would have wanted to sleep in a room again, on a nice warm bed. And not sound too demanding. Because I'm not, I only want my rights, to reclaim what belongs to me. But at this point, I don't see that happening.

Although I haven't really been all too honest either, I probably should have told Brandon the other reason why his father, Leander, wanted us married. About what he's done, and is now doing, with Brandon's corporation.

**Flashback**

"_When were you planning on telling me this?" I ask through gritted teeth, "why now? Why today?" I say angrily through my tears, which were now falling freely down my cheeks. My mother does nothing but remain silent._

"_What does this have to do with my marriage with Brandon?"_

"_Darling, Brandon's father, Leander, is going through some…financial problems. You see, Brandon's mother owned a company, very wealthy of course. When she died last year, the business was supposed to go to Brandon, he doesn't know that. His father kept the business and it is now going bankrupt._

"_So by me marrying Brandon, we help Leander with his financial problems, he continues to run Brandon's business, he continues to lie to him…this is absolutely sick!"_

"_Now Stella! Your father and Leander have been friends for ages now, we owe him. He's done a lot for us and…"_

"_But mom, don't you see? That corporation belongs to Brandon! His mother left it for him, it means so much to him, he would be shattered if he knew his father took that away from him, let alone that it's bankrupt!" I pause and take a breath._

"_Stella, we had already arranged your marriage with Brandon long before this happened, long before Brandon's mother died, when you were children practically. You are not to tell Brandon about this! Do you hear me?"_

"_I can't lie mom, I…"_

"_Please Stella, think about what the truth would do to Brandon," she says, giving me a stern look. She then turns around and walking back to sit behind her desk_

**End of Flashback**

Suddenly the ringing of the doorbell breaks me out of my thoughts. So I rush to open the door before Chimera begins to yell.

"Good morning, may I ask who you are?" I ask, to a tall, handsome young man, with dark hair and the deepest hazel eyes I've ever seen.

"Hello, my name is Nathaniel Conrad, and I'm here for the job"

_Say what?_

"Stella who was that?" I hear Chimera ask, while coming down the stairs, I let Nathaniel in so that Chimera can see him for herself.

"Oh, you must be Nathan" she says, "I've been waiting", just then she looks at me and says,

"And you, what are you waiting for? Carry on with your duties, go on!"

"Yes ma'am" I say, quietly walking back into the kitchen. Once I'm in the kitchen, I look into the living room, but hide behind the wall so Chimera won't see me. I see Brandon walk into the living room just then.

"Brandon, this is Nathan, he'll be helping the maid from now on" she says, hugging onto Brandon's arm, I really can't stand her, she's always near him and…but I shouldn't care, I'm not jealous. For some reason though, Brandon doesn't look too happy, wonder what's up with him…

"Good evening sir," Nathaniel says politely and extends his hand out to shake Brandon's.

"Good evening", Brandon responds sternly, and shakes his hand quite harshly. Now looking at Nathaniel, I realize that he really is good-looking. He isn't as muscular as Brandon, but one could tell that he works out. He has short, ruffled dark hair, blushing cheeks, deep hazel eyes, and a warm smile.

**Song:** "No Air" -Jordan Sparks

Hey everyone, I really hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. Cliff hanger!! How will Brandon react once he meets Nathaniel? Will Nathaniel fall for Stella? Or more importantly, will Stella fall in love with Nathaniel? Guess you're going to have to wait for the next chapter to find out. I also would to thank the people who have been reviewing,

**Stellawinx: **I'm really glad you like it; please keep reading it gets better : )

**PriincessCiara: **on the part that you're confused about, Chimera is Stella's second cousin (twice removed lol) so they don't know each other too well, plus Chimera is in love with Brandon and she never liked Stella, and she still doesn't. And to top things off, Chimera wasn't at Brandon and Stella's wedding. Which is why she doesn't know that Stella is pretending to be a maid, or that she and Brandon are officially married. I hope I was able to explain this clearly lol. Please keep reviewing, and let me know what you think.

**Stella: **It's about to get more interesting lol

**Cherryll: **Yea lol, Chimera's likely to get on your bad side, she's evil that way ; )

**Ivette13: **hey I'm glad your reading this story, please keep reviewing and tell me what'cha think (btw: Did you know we have the same name??)

**-i Be S a s h a-**** : **I'm so sorry that I took so long to update but like I had mentioned before, I had exams, plus a lot of unexpected things have happened, things that made it hard for me to continue writing, family stuff, you know? And I'll try to mark who the story is about so that it will be easier to find lol thank you for reviewing!

**Casual Smirk: **it'll get a lot more interesting soon, Stella is acting like a maid because of how hurt she is about Brandon being with Chimera (Which isn't even completely true), even if she is a princess, she thinks of herself as strong, and independent, and that's how she handles the situation.


	14. A Nobel Friend

**Chapter 14: A Noble friend **

I quietly walked back into the kitchen and continued doing my work, sweeping and getting down on my knees to clean a few tough spots off the floor. I then hear footsteps so naturally I look up,

"You must be Stella, my name is Nathaniel it's nice to meet you", he says smiling warmly at me and coming closer, I then get up off the floor and wipe my hands.

"It's nice to meet you too", I say as he extends out his hand, I take it and he kisses it gently.

"By the way, you may call me Nathan or just Nate" he says, smiling again. His smile seems so contagious. We just stood there when someone cleared their throat, it was Brandon, and I blushed deeper if possible.

"Nathaniel, I wanted to let you know that your day off will be on Fridays, any guests that may arrive are to be on the second floor, and if you have any questions, our room is on the third floor, my office is three doors down from there" he says, sounding quite strict then leaving before Nathan can even utter a 'yes sir'.

"He doesn't seem to like me very much. Is he always this…strict?" he asks quietly.

"Well…not usually this much", Nathan was right, for some reason Brandon was acting pretty strange now that Nathan's here.

"Well, I hope things works out, it's not my first job working as an assistant, and I like to be very responsible with my work", he says.

"Speaking of which", he continues, "You look familiar, it feels as though I've seen you somewhere before but I just can't remember where", he says thoughtfully. A newspaper maybe? I am the princess of Solaria after all…

"I'm not sure, maybe at a store or something" I tell him quickly, he seems convinced

"Yes, you're probably right" he says warmly, getting back to work. Nathan was proving to be very sweet; I thought as I watched him work, suddenly he looked up at me and noticed me staring, instead of asking for the cause for my looking at him, he just winked and went back to work. I felt myself blush. But I smile and quickly go back work as well.

Evening came by quickly, the guys and girls had decided to head to each of their homes after the tour Sky took them on, so that they could all come back again soon. Nate and I had successfully finished a load of work, he was being really helpful. I saw as Chimera and Brandon headed up to their room. Chimera was as always clinging onto his arm and talking about her day, how tired she was, as always, just about her. I, as usual, picked up my pillow and walked into the kitchen to lie down on the cold floor. But what I hadn't noticed was Nathaniel's confused look.

"Stella?" he asks,

"Nathan…I didn't realize you were still here" I say.

"I thought I heard something and I wanted to come check it out", he says quietly, I look down, feeling a bit embarrassed that he now knows I sleep on the floor. But Nathan lifts my chin up with his finger.

"Hey, what about you? What are you doing down here at this time?" he whispers.

"Didn't they tell you? I…I sleep down here" I say, the tears stinging,

"You, you what?" he asks unbelievingly

"I sleep here, on the kitchen floor Nate," I repeat looking right at him this time. He only shakes his head in disbelief,

"I can't believe this, and why don't you do anything about it? Why don't you demand to sleep on a bed, in a room? Demand more respect Stella? You don't deserve this, nobody does!"He says, talking a bit more loudly, but at once I could see that he was calming down.

"There's a lot you don't know about me Nate…a lot you don't know" I say quietly.

"Well whatever it is that I don't know about you, is it really so bad that you deserve to sleep on the floor? Let me ask you something, what other palace have you heard of that makes their maids sleep like this?" he asks, I don't say a word. Because I know he's right.

"What is it Stella? I know I haven't known you for even a whole day but…you can trust me. Whatever is bothering you, you can tell me…"he says gently. Something tells me that I can trust him. So I do.

"Nate…have you ever made a choice…that you know will hurt you, and yet you don't know why but you make that choice anyway?" I ask carefully.

"I'm not sure…"he answers, "why?"

"Nathan I'm not a maid…I'm Stella, the princess of Solaria" I say, a single tear rolling down my cheek. For a minute, all that can be heard in the dark kitchen is silence.

"You're…the princess?" he asks,

"Yes I am, when you said I looked familiar, it's because I'm the princess of Solaria Nate, you have to believe me, I'm the daughter of King Radius and Queen Luciana", I say, another tear falling. Nate reaches out and wipes my tear with his finger.

"I don't understand, I mean I believe you but if you're the princess then what are you doing here?" he asks confused. I took a deep breath.

"I…I don't know" I say, another tear falling. Nate sighs.

"What are you thinking now Stella? You can't go on like this. You're the princess not a maid, you deserve to be treated as what you are, this isn't any way to live" he says, compassion shining in his eyes.

"Do I have a choice?" I ask.

"You do, you have to" he says gently, "I want to help you Stella". I look up at him.

"You want to help me?" I ask confused, "How?"

"However I can Stella, you know I'll help you do the work, more than what I'm supposed to help you with if possible and-"he continues but I cut him off,

"But Nathan that's not fair, you shouldn't have to work so much" I tell him.

"And neither should you, especially not you. But you do it anyway…don't you" he asks, I simply stay quiet.

"let me help you Stella, maybe there's even a way that I can help you go back to being the princess you always were" he says, I just stare at him.

"Thank you Nathan, so much. I…I just have one question" I tell him. He smiles.

"Why do you do all of this for me?" I ask him curious, because he really hasn't known me for much time at all.

"Because…I just do" he says, and then continues, "You better get some rest Stella, tomorrow could be another busy day" he says, and he's right. I smile and lie down, falling asleep right away.

**Brandon's POV**

I can't believe Chimera! She really hired a young man to help Stella. I know by the way he was looking at her that he's feeling something for her. As I start making my way down to the kitchen to keep Stella some company, even though she won't know it, I hear something move…something strange. I continue to walk down the stairs, and to my surprise, Nathaniel is sitting outside the kitchen on the floor, reading a book. I can't…believe this. Now I won't be able to see Stella.

Well I guess I deserve it, for the way Stella has been feeling with Chimera around, but it's nothing real with us…but with this…Nathan, who knows what it could be, and to think I can't even be with her down at the kitchen tonight because he's there. I don't know how long he'll be around but I hope it's not long. Because he's not going to get to Stella! I know he's not. As I go back up to the bedroom and lie down, I can't help but think about Stella…about how I can't see her tonight, about how that, that…Nathaniel, is down their watching over her and keeping her company. That should be me. I sigh and turn over to the other side to see if I can sleep.

Nothing. I can't stand this! I should be down there with her not him! This has to stop.


	15. AN

Hey again,

I just wanted to thank everyone, I was so happy with all of the reviews I got, thank you all so much. I wanted to apologize I would have updated sooner but my internet has been very slow these days. It's starting to get better though so don't worry lol.

**Cherryll:** Thank you for reviewing, I'm really glad you like this story, and while the story is about Stella and Brandon, I will try to include the other couples in there as well, and who knows and maybe one day I can write a Musa/Riven story lol : )

**Stellarox1331: **I'm really glad this story has inspired you, and I will try to update sooner, hopefully my internet will start going faster lol.

**Stella: **Please keep reviewing, could be Nathan x Stella for now, but it's always Brandon x Stella in the end lol, how it comes to be that way? Keep reading to find out lol : )

**Stellamylove: **I'm really glad you think that about this story, please keep reading, it'll get more and more interesting as it goes lol : )

**Bloombabe: **Pleasedon't stop reading, thank you for reviewing : )

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	16. Reminisce

**A/N: So sorry for the delay, enjoy!**

**Chapter 16: Reminisce**

_I thought you were my fairy tale,  
My dream when I'm not sleeping,  
A wish upon a star,  
That's coming true  
_  
**Stella's POV**

I woke up this morning to a delicious and familiar aroma. So I got up and walked into the servants' bathroom to change into another uniform. As I walk out, deciding to leave my hair lose for the day, I see  
Nathan walking over with a smile on his face, as usual.

"Good morning," he says smiling widely, I blush and say

"Good morning Nate" smiling as well. I just notice that neither Brandon, nor Chimera seem to be around. It's awfully quiet.

"So where are Brandon and Chimera?" I ask indifferently.

"Well I'm not sure about lady Chimera, but I know King Brandon went for a walk this morning at about 6 and hasn't returned yet", he explains. I look at my watch, which read 7:30. And he's not back yet,  
again trying to sound indifferent I ask,

"Did he mention anything about coming for breakfast?" Nate simply  
shakes his head,

"No not at all", then he smiles softly, I nod and walk into the laundry room to iron one of Chimera's gowns. I feel the tears sting in my eyes as I remember how it all used to be, but before any tears  
can escape I take a deep breath and wipe my eyes frantically with my sleeve. And before I knew it I had set the iron too close to the gown and burned a small part of it at the bottom. I sighed. I continued  
thinking about Solaria and my family until footsteps brought me back to reality.

"Stella I-what have you done to my gown?" Chimera asks angrily. I feel my hands begin to shake but only softly, why?

"I…I burned it by accident," I say,

"Well then you should be more careful next time shouldn't you?" she says to me coming closer, I simply look down at the piece of cloth I was ironing,

"Yes", I say quietly, she looks at me sternly, no, furiously is a better description.

"Yes…what?" she asks, standing right in front of me now.

"Yes lady Chimera," she simply stares at me before pushing past me roughly, almost knocking me down and muttering something about useless maids…And it was then that my tears didn't hold back, so I just let them go…I turn off the iron and slowly make my way out of the laundry room, to head over to the gardens,

_ I swore I knew the melody,  
That I heard you singing,  
And when you smiled, you made me feel,  
Like I could sing along,_

"Stella?" Nathan asks tapping me on the shoulder. I keep my eyes on the floor, for some reason I don't want him to see me crying, not him, not anyone. But he holds me by the shoulders gently and tilts my chin up with his finger, so that he's looking straight into my eyes,

"What's wrong Stel? You can tell me" he says, I only shake my head; I wasn't ready to say anything because I knew the tears would continue coming. And Nathan seems to understand because he gently takes me by the wrist and leads me into the kitchen, pulling out a chair for me. I only sit down, without a word. Nathan sits across from me and simply says,

"You should eat something Stella",

"No its okay", I say, my voice still shaking, "Chimera probably wouldn't like it…I also don't usually eat at this time" I tell him, more tears coming to my eyes because in Solaria…I always ate at this  
time. Nate looks at me thoughtfully and gets up. He walks over to the kitchen counter and picks up a silver tray which is covered with a lid. He then places it on the small table in front of me and carefully  
pulls the lid off, revealing some very delicious foods, like the ones I ate in Solaria…I couldn't believe it…

"So, what do you think?" Nathan asks, bringing me out of my thoughts. I look at him, straight into his eyes,

"I…I think everything on the tray looks great, did you make all of this?" I ask him. He laughs kindly, taking two forks and handing one over to me,

"Actually yes I did, I'm glad you like it, so now let's eat" he says beaming, I look at the tray again, it does look delicious,

"Nate, are you sure it's enough for the both of us? Because if it isn't-" I start to say but h cuts me off,

"Don't worry it is" he says, he then picks up a candle from the counter and lights it while placing it on the table.

"I know this is nothing compared to what you had in Solaria, but…I also know that you must really miss it. I thought maybe this would help you feel better" he says, and I can't help but smile.

"Nathan, this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me" I tell him, he simply smiles while looking at me, then says,

"Let's eat" so we start eating, a bowl of fresh strawberries, with a glass of milk, warm bread right out of the oven, soft oven baked cookies, orange juice and a few more. We were both eating happily until we heard the opening and closing of the palace door. We knew at once it was Brandon; Nate seemed to think nothing of it though, instead he looks up at me and brushes a few more tears off my cheeks,

"Stella, please don't cry, you're a great person…and you deserve to be happy"

"Don't worry Nate, I am, this breakfast has made my day after all" I say smiling, he only smiles back, and for some reason, blushing himself. Suddenly Brandon walks in, startling us,

"Nate" He practically yells as he sees us finishing our breakfast. As if on signal, both Nathaniel and I stand up instantly at the sound of his voice. And Brandon, noticing how startled we are, apologizes  
softly looking solely at me and continues giving orders to Nate. I simply stare at Brandon,

"Stella, Stella?" I hear someone say, bringing me out of my thoughts  
yet again, it's Nathan,

"Is everything okay? You just seem to have spaced out" he says thoughtfully,  
"Oh it's nothing, just a little sleepy still" I lie, but whether he believes it or not, he simply smiles and doesn't question me on the subject anymore. The day went by rather quickly as Nate did most of my chores, and yet I still didn't understand why. He smiled at me every time I looked over at him to thank him for doing my work. He did however stop helping when ever Chimera or Brandon walked in, so that they wouldn't get upset with either of us, or give me extra work to do on my own.  
**  
Brandon's POV**

I'm pretty sure Stella hasn't noticed, but I have! I see the way Nathan looks at her; I know he has feelings for her; he's always doing her work and helping her more than necessary, even if he thinks I haven't noticed. I heard what he said to her in the kitchen, he thinks she's great and all and she really is. But I can't help but wish I was the one wiping away her tears, that I was the one serving her breakfast, eating with her, laughing with her. Not that I would admit it to either of them… I just wish I had Stella back, happy like we were before the wedding, I wish I had her back as my wife again and not the maid of the palace. But she seems to like all the attention she's getting from Nathaniel…she doesn't seem to mind or complain that he smiles at her constantly, that he's the one who wipes her tears away, or that he makes her breakfast…

"Brandon?" I hear someone say…oh…Chimera…

"Yes?" I respond, smiling at her never the less,

"I was thinking maybe we could go out tonight, you hardly ever take me out anywhere special…" she says with wish in her voice,  
"You know what?" I ask her, thinking again about Nathan and Stella… "I think that's a good idea, we could have dinner out tonight at a restaurant" I tell her, she of course, squeals, and hugs me,

"You are so romantic, I have to start picking out my clothes" she says and leaves to our room. I'm sure Stella won't mind…

**Stella's POV**

I can't believe what I just heard…Brandon making dinner plans with Chimera. I …I can't believe that for even a second I thought he would like me. Sure I was a princess, but now I'm nothing more than the  
maid. How could I have been so, so…?

_ Now I know you're not a fairy tale,  
And dreams were meant for sleeping,  
And wishes on a star, just don't come true,  
Cause now even I can tell, that I confused my feelings  
With the truth  
_  
He's never really been in love with me, he never has…

_Because I liked the view,  
When there was Me and You  
_  
"Stella" Nate says, walking into the kitchen

"Yes?" I ask,

"There's…something I need to tell you"

"What is it Nate?" I ask him

"Stella…I …I" he begins stuttering.

"What is it Nate?" I ask

"I…I really like you…I love you" he says, then look down.

"You...what?" I ask, bewildered. I like Nate…but not in the same way that he likes me…I couldn't.

"I can't help it Stella, your just…the most amazing girl I've ever met, your sweet, smart, good hearted…beautiful", he says looking deep into my eyes, I feel myself blush. I have to be honest with him.

"Nathan, I..." but someone interrupts me, Brandon calls my name so I turned around, sighing and walked to the living room,

"Yes my king?" I say looking straight into his eyes

"Lady Chimera and I will be going out tonight for dinner, so you won't be required to cook tonight. Please inform that to…to, Nathaniel" he stares into my eyes, soft, but sternly. I merely nod and walk back into the kitchen quickly but not before seeing Chimera link her arm in his, and they leave together.

Just then the phone rings, I sigh, I really have to talk to Nathan.

"Good morning, may I help you?" I say into the receiver.

"Stella my beautiful daughter, how are you?" I nearly shriek.

"Daddy!" I say happily "I'm…I'm doing well and you? how's mom?" I ask the tears already in my eyes. I missed them so much…

"We're doing great, your mother really misses you…and of course…so do I" he says solemnly.

"Oh dad…I miss you both so much too," I say, he then sighs and suddenly his voice is cheerful again.

"Well that was one reason for this phone call. I want to invite Brandon and yourself to come to the Solar Solistice Festival this Friday. That way we can also see you both and talk" he says. _This doesn't sound good, what about Chimera…_

"Oh I don't know dad, I mean, I don't know if Brandon will have a meeting or-" I try to say but my dad cuts me off.

"No 'buts' Stella, all princes and princesses must attend, besides, you said yourself that you miss us, and so meeting or no meeting you should both come. You have to come; you're the princess of Solaria yourself! Don't let us down Stella" he says, how do I say 'no' to that? I sigh,

"Alright dad, we'll be there on Friday" I say half nervous as to how to convince Brandon about this, but also excited because I'll get to go back home…see my parents, friends…

"Friday at 10 A.M?" he asks, sounding even more excited himself. I can't help but smile.

"Friday at 10 A.M dad, I promise" I tell him, and with that, we hang up.

I turn around suddenly remembering Nathaniel's words…

"_I…I really like you…I love you"_

_Now what?_


	17. Everything

**Chapter 17: Everything**

"_I…I really like you, I love you"_

_Now what?_

_Tell me how to fix this_

_I trade my world for one wish_

_To go back to my other life_

_And get it right_

I head back into the kitchen, thinking about what I'm going to say as I go. I have to tell him the truth, it's the right thing.

"Nathan, listen, we need to talk" I tell him, and pull out a chair by the little table and sit. He nods and instantly does the same thing.

"Nate, I'm, well, flattered that you think that of me. I also think that you're a really sweet guy, you're caring and generous but…" I say but Nate interrupts me by sighing,

"But?" he asks, looking sad, I sigh as well.

"But, you need to know the truth Nathan," I say to him, he only stares at me confused,

"The truth?" he asks,

"Yes, Nathan, the truth, I've already told you that I'm the princess of Solaria, but there's something else I need to tell you" I say.

"Well, I can't imagine what it could be that you need to tell me but, go ahead. I'm listening" he says, warmly.

"Well, King Brandon, isn't exactly, my boss…he's…he's my husband" I say, looking down.

"Your…what?" Nathan asks, sounding more confused than before.

"It's complicated really" I say to him, hesitating.

"Don't worry, I think I can keep up" he says, half smiling.

"Well, our parents arranged our marriage when we were still kids. Brandon and I didn't really know each other well and, I guess we were both just too young to really understand what that meant", I say, and pause before continuing,

"I remember when we met the very first time at a ball, it didn't go as well as planned, the second time either, but I knew", I paused, "I knew I was in love with him" I say

"So we got married, but not before I saw him flirting with Chimera. He told me that nothing of what he said to her was true, and that he had an explanation, but I never listened. And so after the wedding, she came here, mistook me for the maid, and here I am" I concluded.

"Stella…I'm so sorry, I had no idea" he says, compassionately. I give him a small smile while still looking down at my hands.

"It's alright Nate, I'm just glad you know the truth now. You're a great guy and I do love you Nathan, but as a brother. From the first day you came here, you've always protected me and have cheered me up when I've felt down. And I'll always be thankful for that, which is why I see you as the older brother I never had", I say, hoping that he'll understand. He smiles.

"Its okay Stel, you're a great girl and I won't quit trying to cheer you up when you need it or trying to protect you. And now knowing the truth, I will try to see and love you as a sister as well" he says, smiling. I could tell he was being sincere.

"Thank you, so much Nate"

"No problem Stel, but, I have to ask, why haven't you spoken to him about this? Why do you stand Chimera treating you as a maid?"

"And say what Nate? Would it really make a difference? Would Chimera really leave? Just like that? Besides, Brandon doesn't love me" I say, sadly.

"See, that's where you're wrong" he says, and I see a grin on his face as I look up.

_"__What do you mean?" I ask him curiously, he laughs warmly._

_"__Stella, you haven't seen the way he looks at you. Or the way he apologizes to you when he thinks he's scared you, or even when he raises his voice at me and you're in the room" he says, calmly._

_"__But, I don't...I don't think he…" I try to say, but I can't because no matter how much I tell myself that's its not possible, Nathan makes it sound as if it is._

"He loves you Stella, I would know. I'm a guy and I've been in love" he says. Could he be right? I sigh.

"Don't worry, I'll prove to you that he does love you, I'll show you" he says, I look right at him then,

"What? How?" I ask him. He doesn't answer for a minute, looking thoughtful.

"Well, I've got an idea. Lately Brandon has been acting a little sweeter to Chimera, and coincidentally it's always after he sees you and I talking" he says,

"So you think he's-"

"Jealous" Nate completes the sentence for me. I nod, realization suddenly hitting me, maybe he has a point.

"So today, if he continues to act that way, just talk to me. Act like we're deep in conversation or something, of course we won't have to act much, we usually always are" he says smiling.

"And what will that prove though" I ask him,

"You'll see how Brandon's attitude will change, proving that he really is jealous, proving also that he loves you" he concludes, he sounds so smart it makes me smile.

"I guess we could try it" I tell him, he laughs warmly, and tells me everything will be okay.

Later that night, Brandon came home holding up a tired looking Chimera. And for some reason, I felt so…upset. I wonder what happened. I mean not that that's any of my business. So in that instant I decided to act, but first things first.

"King Brandon" I say, looking down, "I need to speak to you, the…king of Solaria called" he looks at me, surprised but nods none the less, and tells me that he'll be back in a bit. He then heads upstairs, to leave Chimera I assume. Once he's back,

"Brandon, my father called while you were out" I tell him quickly and quietly.

"What did he say? Is everything okay in Solaria?" he says, looking concerned, I sigh,

"Yes Brandon, everything's fine but…" I pause, looking down. How do I say this?

"But…" Brandon urges me to continue.

"But, there's going to be a festival on Friday, and…he wants us both to attend, as a married couple of course. Without Chimera or Nathaniel" I say, to my surprised, he sighs looking quite content.

"Well then we should, I'm sure your dad would love that" he says looking warmly at me, I can't help but look into his eyes and nod, then say,

"Its late, I should go to bed" I say, before bowing slightly and turning to leave. I hear Brandon sigh behind me,

"Stella" I hear him say, and I turn around

"Yes?" I ask him, he looks down, as if he were unsure of what to say,

"…goodnight" he says, giving me a tired smile. I get the feeling that's not what he wanted to say.

**Brandon's POV**

"Well then we should, I'm sure your dad would love that" I say to her.

I listen to Stella as she tells me about the festival on Friday, it sounds so relieving to finally have time alone with Stella with out Chimera and Nathaniel. Just the two of us, like old times. But I can't help but feel that Nathaniel is becoming too close with Stella. And if I tell her she'll just think I'm jealous. But I don't want to stand around and watch, I want to tell her, I want to say…

"Its late, I should go to bed" she says bowing, which only reminds me why she's here. Or better yet, why she's in this….condition, she's a princess; she shouldn't have to bear with this.

"Stella" I say, and see as she slowly turns around.

"Yes?" she asks, but….I can't, just now right now.

"…goodnight" I say instead, giving her a small, tired smile. I see her turn around and leave, but for some reason I just stand there. Suddenly there was talking.

"Are you okay Stella?" he asks.

"I'm fine, thank you Nate really" Stella says to him.

"I just want you to be happy Stel, I know what you must be going through, and right now your serenity is all that matters" he says, I can't believe him.

"Again, thank you. That's a very sweet thing to say" she simply says, somehow her answer calms me. But I now realize something I never have. It is very possible to be so close to someone, and yet miss them so much. And I miss her. I miss Stella.

Hey everyone, I'm so sorry for not updating sooner, please don't be angry. I've been busy with final exams, and I haven't been feeling so well. But now I'm on summer vacation lol. I hope you all liked this chapter, please tell me what you think and review : )

God bless you all and take care.

XOXO

Smileystar : )


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